Upgrading Adobe Flash Player installed Google Toolbar without asking

[samwyse]

A few moments ago, I was prompted to upgrade to Adobe Flash Player 11.6.602.168. I accepted, and IE 8 was launched to this URL: https://get3.adobe.com/flashplayer/update/activex/ . The web page makes no mention of installing Google Toolbar, although it does ask if I want to install Chrome. Adobe's download manager then downloaded and installed both Flash Player and Google Toolbar (I already had Chrome installed). Has anyone else noticed this? BTW, here's the web page as presented to me: https://www.dropbox.com/s/01vgfb05ypap2dg/AdobeFlashUpgradePage.PNG

[pasbesoin]

I don't know whether I should comment on this, for fear popularity will cause Adobe to change it (for the worse).

I have long, and other people recommend, downloading and installing from the full installers. Adobe has made these progressively more difficult to find via their own page structure, but they are still there.

They don't -- or haven't, so far -- contain the crapware. They also don't go through that annoying two part install: Shim that runs and then in turn downloads and runs the full installer (perhaps with crapware).

I take, and have seen recommended, a similar approach with Oracle's Java -- if you happen to be forced to live with it, as well.

[lbcadden3]

It seems like Adobe has a random problem that started in August where the page you show in your image had no check box to uncheck if you did not want Chrome installed, may be part of the same issue.

It would install Chrome and/or Chrome Bar depending on what user already had.

http://forums.adobe.com/thread/1053973?start=0&tstart=0

I use Chrome on Ubuntu so do not use Adobe Flash. I have had no issues with my wifes Windows system, which only has IE and does have Adobe Flash installed.

[mschuster91]

Looks like Adobe is running out of money...